Pages

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

JFL Announces 2013 Line Up!

The Just For Laughs Festival officially announced its Chicago 2013 Line up today! What!? Yep, I'm almost embarrassed to admit I've actually been waiting for this day with great anticipation. JFL, if you didn't know (and I sincerely hope no comedy fans out there are actually unaware of this festival), is one of the oldest and largest comedy festival organizations in the world. They started the Chicago branch of the festival in 2009 and it has taken off big time. 2013 marks the 5 year anniversary of the festival in Chicago and the organizers seem to be working hard to make this a special year. Right now it's looking pretty good, check out the lineup thus far.Bill Maher Seth Meyers
Bob Newhart David Cross
Nick Swardson
John Hodgman
Artie LangeHannibal Buress
Al MadrigalMaria Bamford
Dylan Moran
Anjelah Johnson
Impractical Jokers
The Whitest Kids U’ Know

Local Chicago comic, Chris Condren from JFL 2012.

Folks should be aware that JFL is notorious for making last minute additions up to the week of the festival. So if you don't see any of your favorites or your not super excited yet... Just wait, it gets better. Secret shows, smaller intimate venues, special guests and late night surprises are all part of the Chicago Just For Laughs mystique and appeal. It's hard to explain how freaking cool it is when you perhaps attend a show at a smaller venue (smaller venues = cheaper tickets) and a heavyweight like George Lopez or Dave Chappelle walks out. Not to mention the abundance of local Chicago comics that are usually booked to perform in the festival. This year should be no exception to that. We suggest you stay tuned to the website or follow the twitter feed for updates. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday (April 27th).

Need more bombastic promotional details!? Check out the official press release below.

Chicago, April 24, 2013 – TBS Just For Laughs Chicago presented by State Farm, is kicking off its 5th Anniversary celebration with the first announcement of this year’s spectacular lineup, featuring many of comedy’s living legends, brightest stars and fastest-rising talent. Taking place Tuesday, June 11 to Sunday, June 16, this sprawling, six-day event will feature some of the funniest people on the planet performing at Chicago’s most iconic venues. Tickets for TBS Just For Laughs Chicago go on sale Saturday, April 27, at 10:00 am (CT).Smart, subversive comedy will be on full display at The Chicago Theatre this summer, when BillMaher serves up a hefty dose of his scathing sociopolitical commentary with his own show on June 16. Fellow master satirist, SNL star and Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers, performs on June 14, with special guests – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’s Al Madrigal and Chicago’s native son and former 30 Rock writer Hannibal Buress. Living legend Bob Newhart, one of the most important and influential voices in the history of American comedy, returns to his hometown for a must-see performance on June 15. And after slipping himself back into the cutoffs of Never Nude analrapist Dr. Tobias Fünke in the hugely anticipated Arrested Development reboot, the brilliant David Cross leads a cabal of his closest comedy comrades into the State Street landmark on June 13 for David Cross & His Super Duper Pals.

The Vic will play host to a trio of exclusive performances by some of the nation’s most popular comedians, led by two live performances by the stars of truTV’s hit hidden-camera show Impractical Jokers on June 15. Nick Swardson, the newest member of Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison family and co-star of the upcoming summer comedy Grown Ups 2, will electrify audiences with a rare performance on June 13. And insanely talented MADtv alum Anjelah Johnson, known for her characters such as online sensation Bon Qui Qui, will perform on June 12.

The Park West will serve up an embarrassment of alt-comedy riches, starting with The Daily Show correspondent, podcast superstar and Bored To Death agitator John Hodgman on June 13 with his show John Hodgman, Performing as Celebrated Humorist John Hodgman in: JOHN HODGMAN TONIGHT! On June 15, Artie Lange from The Howard Stern Show fame will offer up his no-hold-barred comedy for two shows, while alt-comedy goddess and Comedians of Comedy star Maria Bamford will perform one solo show. “The greatest comedian, living or dead” as quoted by Paris’ Le Monde newspaper, Irish comic Dylan Moran, will ruminate on life, love and loss with his inimitable sardonic wit in his new one-man show Yeah, Yeah on June 14. And the stars of two hit TV shows will take the stage for exclusive performances, with Steve Byrne, Owen Benjamin, Ahmed Ahmed and Roy Wood Jr. of TBS’s popular sitcom Sullivan & Son slated for June 14, and IFC’s sketch-comedy superstars Trevor Moore, Zach Creggar, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter from the IFC smash The Whitest Kids U’ Know scheduled to perform June 12.